Erik Menendez’s Wife Says Hearing Was ‘a Complete Setup’ After He’s Denied Parole

Erik Menendez’s wife, Tammi, is speaking out after her husband was denied parole this week, calling the hearing “a complete setup” and unfair from the start.

“Parole Commissioner Robert Barton had his mind made up to deny Erik parole from the start,” Tammi Menendez posted on X. “This was a complete setup, and Erik never stood a chance!”

The decision was announced Thursday, Aug. 21, more than three decades after he and his brother, Lyle Menendez, were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in 1989 in their Beverly Hills, Calif., home. They were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings.

The brothers were initially sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole but got a long-awaited chance at freedom in May after a Los Angeles judge reduced their sentences to 50 years to life. This change made them eligible for parole because they were under 26 when they committed the murders.

In a follow-up post, Tammi addressed Erik’s alleged behavior behind bars, which reportedly influenced the parole board’s decision.

“Erik hasn’t had any infractions since 2011, apart from a cell phone possession,” she wrote. “To the media reporting otherwise: please get the facts straight! #erikmenendez.”

The New York Times reported that, in explaining the parole board’s decision, Barton said Erik has not been a “model prisoner” and noted a series of infractions behind bars. Some of these violations reportedly included drug and cellphone use, as well as involvement in a tax fraud scheme.

Barton also stated he believed Erik was not in “imminent fear” for his life before the killings, according to the Times. Erik and Lyle have maintained they acted in self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, which they alleged their mother knew about but failed to stop.

Barton described the brothers’ killings as “devoid of human compassion,” telling Erik, “The killing of your mother especially showed a lack of empathy and reason.”

Lyle is expected to face the parole board Friday, Aug. 22. Following Erik’s denial, a family spokesperson released a statement expressing cautious optimism:

“And while it is undoubtedly difficult, we remain cautiously optimistic and hopeful that the commissioner will see in Lyle what so many others have: a man who has taken responsibility, transformed his life, and is ready to come home.”